Pic-of-the-Month for January 2024

 Hola Amigos,

January has not been a busy month, since Ben and I were spending a lot of time recovering from our nasty colds and cough.  I actually still have a cough hanging on, and I'm more that ready for it to be done!  So, we have been staying pretty close to home most of the month.  

We did go out to Los Frailes so Ben could help Mel put a new awning on the fifth wheel trailer that is permanently parked on their rental campsite.  Of course it wasn't easy, but between the two of these clever do-it-your-selfers, it got done!  No fishing trip this time, since it was just a one-night stay, but we still ate very well!!  

We had another cow invasion into our yard one night this month.  She ate roses, bananas, Hibiscus, lettuce, radishes, cilantro.....  ARGH!!!  I think she and a calf came in through our neighbors' from the beach, and jumped over a wall into our yard.  We're trying to convince him to strengthen his fences.  Ben has also discovered there is a brand new law that the rancher is responsible for damages his cows do on or to your property.  Look out ranchers who are raising free-range cattle here!  Here's a picture of some really pretty roses.....before the cow ate all the flowers and a lot of leaves!

I hadn't planted my green beans yet, but I have now, so I'm hoping they don't come back!! Fortunately, last year was a bumper bean crop year (and no cows in the yard), and I still have jars of beans left.  We've been enjoying them all season! 

We have 4 bunches of bananas developing right now that hopefully will get ripe before we leave in late June, and some Papayas that are getting bigger.  Can't wait for those to get ripe...they are so sweet and tasty.  

Ben started doing some more pruning on our newer lot to the west of our house.  He has a lovely wood pile for next season, and a few more things to prune before he calls it good for this season.  This mesquite wood burns quite nicely after we let it dry for a year.  We also burn all the twigs and leaves in our outdoor fire pit, so nothing gets hauled to the dump.  We've discovered some nice plants in the "jungle", including a Queen of the Night cactus (which is a rather ugly plant!) and several trees without thorns, which is a real good thing in a Baja garden! (This area of Baja is classified as a Tropical Thorn Forest as most all plants have thorns). 

There have been some gorgeous sunrises and sunsets this month.  I am usually not quite up yet for the sunrises, but this sunset lit the sky on fire a few weeks ago!  Wow!

 

The highlight of January for us is our wedding anniversary on the 27th.  We went to La Paz, stayed two nights at a very nice hotel, and ate at two of our favorite restaurants.  What a treat, especially since Zoey stayed at home! Our friend Dalia was kind enough to dog sit for us.  While in La Paz, we managed to do some shopping and get a few rare items.  Ben found a nursery that had Hoya plants, several varieties.  One he got is a Hoya Kerrii, which has thick, heart shaped leaves.  The other one is a normal Hoya.  No blooms on them right now, so we'll have to see what they look like later on in the year.  Here's the Kerrii plant to the right.  We used to grow one of the normal ones as a house plant when we lived in Salem.  I'm anxious to see how these do here.  Here's a picture of a flower we saw on a Hoya plant at our hotel in San Quintin on the way south this year.  I wanted to snip a start off that plant so badly, but was a good girl and didn't do it!! 

Here's the last picture for this time.  Cousin Tom took a picture of us after our anniversary dinner on our hotel roof top.  We've been married 56 years, by the way!  Amazing.  And yes, we were bundled up.  It was a bit breezy, and probably 68 degrees.  That's better than the snow and ice on our Oregon Anniversaries! 

I have created a 2024 January album with a few more pics. 

Company is coming this Saturday!   Check with us for availability.  We'd love to have you visit.

Hasta la proxima mes,

Tus amigos de Baja,

Harriet, Ben & Zoey